


the fire will burn (and the rain will wash its sins away)

by makemelovely



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-04
Updated: 2017-03-04
Packaged: 2018-09-28 08:11:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10080848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makemelovely/pseuds/makemelovely
Summary: You don't believe in the Soul Mark. So when she holds you at night and tells you she loves you, it burns.





	

You never believed in the Soul Mark. Just the idea of belonging to someone made your blood boil and your hands clench into fists. You always knew how old your soulmate (supposed, of course) was because the day your soulmate is born your Mark gets colored. Marlene's Mark was a fire, raging and burning until the rain clouds overhead pour down and the rain extinguishes the flames. Everybody who knows you says that it's perfect. You hate it. Your supposed soulmate is a year younger than you but you don't care. After all, they aren't your soulmate.

-

A fun fact about the Soul Marks is that they only appear to Wizards. Most get them at birth but there are a few rare cases that the Marks don't appear until the Markless wizards/witches walk into Hogwarts (the most famous case of this is Neville Longbottom. His Mark is the sword of Gryffindor slicing through a chain around a badger's neck, only to have the badger curl into a plant that wraps itself comfortingly around the animal).

-  
You are sorted into Gryffindor and as you walk happily to your seat, a pretty brunette leans over and whispers in your ear, "My name is Emmeline Vance. What's yours?"

You smile at her, and reply "My name is Marlene McKinnon."

You giggle when she tugs on a blonde curl and you flush when she leans so close to your face that you can smell her mint gum and all you can see is her dark eyes watching you carefully. "Looks like we're sharing a dorm this year." You are so screwed because your heart melts a little when she flashes you a pearly white smile with straight teeth and plump pink lips.

Emmeline is your first best friend and your first kiss and your first love and your first everything.

-

You are twelve when you meet your soulmate. McGonagall has told you that you're going to be sharing a dorm with a group of First Years 'to show them how life at Hogwarts is' she says. There is a sparking gleam of delightful mischief in her wise eyes that tell you these girls will be your dorm mates for the rest of your Hogwarts life.

When you meet them, you don't really mind.

There is Lily Evans, a redhead with emerald eyes and a sharp tongue with a wit that is by far sharper. She has freckles thrown messily across her cheeks and nose. The thing that makes you soften around her is the way she cries late at night and the fact that she lets you comfort her until she stops shaking.

Then there is Alice Fortescue who is a tiny slip of a thing. She looks delicate but she stands as tall as she can. When people call her short she hits them in the face and they go down. Nobody calls her names after that and you feel like a proud older sister when she walks in from her detention proudly.

Lastly is Mary Macdonald who looks at everything with wide eyes. She smiles brightly at everybody and everything despite the deer caught in headlights look that seems to be a constant fixture on her face. She sleeps soundly at night and your heart constricts when she wakes up with a soft little yawn and a shake of her head, as if she's forcibly removing the sleep from her mind.

-

Alice is, of course, the one who connects your Soul Marks together. It's midnight and you should be asleep but Alice is doing forgotten homework (or trying to), Lily is reading a thick book that she flips the page of every minute it seems like, and Mary is sitting cross legged on your bed, humming softly as you braid her long hair. "You have such great hair." You are saying as Alice suddenly jolts into a non slouched position.

"Oh!" She exclaims loudly, sounding so surprised. "You guys are soulmates!" She says it so excitedly that your stomach flips into a pit of nervousness because no you can't be. Mary believes in the Soul Mark and you, well, don't. You want Mary to be happy but she seems content to chase a fairytale.

"No we aren't." You hear yourself say. Your voice sounds like you are one day away from a nervous breakdown and perhaps now you are.

"Should we check to make sure?" Mary asks, unsure. You shrug your shoulders and she flips her shirt up. There on her stomach is a bright red fire, burning brightly until the rain comes and washes it away.

"Oh." You hollowly slide your pants off to reveal the matching Mark on your hip.

"We're soulmates! Oh, this is totally great because you're, like, the coolest person ever!" Mary squeals and twists herself to face you. Her eyes are shining brightly and she beams at you, her smile like a spotlight. She flings herself into your arms, her head buried in your shoulder. She leans into you, her face now pressed into your neck.

You let her stay there for a moment before pushing her away. She looks hurt so you rush to explain. "I don't believe in Soul Marks or soulmates."

The room is quiet. Alice goes back to the homework and Lily goes back to her book. But Mary watches you. And watches. Alice finishes her homework and shuts her lamp off, sweeping her curtains closed. Mary is still watching you. Lily finishes her chapter and shuts her book, gently pulling her curtains closed while saying a quiet goodnight, guys.

You stay up all night, watching Mary watch you.

-

Mary accepts that you don't believe in soulmates because that's the kind of person she is. For a sharp, fleeting moment you think that maybe the Soul Mark is right but you dismiss that thought as nonsense.

-

You lose your virginity in Fourth Year to Sirius Black, your sort of boyfriend. You flirt a lot but you aren't really dating. Mary holds your hand as you cry.

-

After that you sleep with a lot of boys, desperate to fall in love with one just to prove the Mark is wrong. It doesn't work because after every time, Mary holds you as you weep because 'why won't they like me'?

-

Lily stars to date James Potter for a while and she falls in love with him but he's a major dick to Snape (her slimy best friend) so she dumps him.

-

You're in your Sixth Year when you begin dating Remus Lupin. He tastes like chocolate and sunshine and on time homework assignments but he doesn't hold your hair when you puke because you drank too much at that party. You tell yourself that you broke up with him because you weren't ready for a relationship, not because Mary looked so pretty in that red dress she wore to that party last weekend.

-

In Fifth Year, Mary told you she loved you. You had been watching the crackling fire in the Gryffindor Common Room with your knees curled up to your chest and she had been studying for a History of Magic exam. It had been two in the morning and out of the blue she said, "I love you, Marley."

You had whipped around to face her and you had just gaped at her, blonde curls falling into your line of vision but you were so shocked you couldn't move them if you tried. "I know you don't believe in the Soul Mark soulmate thing, but maybe you could believe in me. Because I love you. Because I'm in love with you. Goodnight."

Remus had found you in the morning, sitting about an inch away from the raging flames muttering 'she can't love me, that's ridiculous'.

-

You get tired of kissing boys so you start kissing girls. That Ravenclaw girl, Dorcas Meadowes tastes like honey and strawberries and you could fall in love with her. You could fall in love with her blonde hair and fair skin and hazel eyes but you can't because you catch yourself wishing she had brown hair and brown eyes and slightly tanned skin.

You almost kiss Mary when she finds out because she has such a hurt look on her face that you want to make it go away.

But you can't so you pretend that you can't hear her crying to Lily and Alice at night.

-

You tell Mary you're in love with her two weeks before you graduate. She lights up and kisses you so hard that the room spins. Its heavenly. She tastes like snickerdoodle cookies and hot chocolate and strawberry lip gloss and Merlin you are so in love with her.

-

The last thing you see is a picture of the two of you. Mary is sitting in a lacy white dress with a bright smile on her lips and a happy flush on her cheeks. You are leaning against her back, your front pressed to her back. Your arms is wrapped possessively in front of her collarbone and your hand is clutching her shoulder. Your chin is rested against her shoulder and your heads are leaning together. You are happy. Your Soul Mark is right. You are happy.

-

Mary finds you. She was late getting there because she picked you up a Danish and a hot chocolate. You were going to spend the day lounging by the pool with her because you needed to have quality time with her. The moment she sees you the hot chocolate drops to the ground and spills against the beautiful rug you picked out together. Mary's Soul Mark has been leeched of most color, only a faint reminded of what had been.


End file.
